Beatrice's Goat

by Page McBrier, Lori Lohstoeter (Illustrator)

Overview

Based on a true story, this heartwarming picture book shows how one gift changed the fate of a poor Ugandan family—especially the young girl who wanted to go to school.

More than anything, Beatrice longs to be a schoolgirl. But in her small African village, only children who can afford uniforms and books can go to school. Beatrice knows that with six children to care for, her family is much too poor. But then Beatrice receives a wonderful gift from some people far away—a goat!

Fat and sleek as a ripe mango, Mugisa (“luck”) gives milk that Beatrice can sell. With Mugisa’s help, Beatrice’s dream may come true after all!

Heifer Project International is a charitable organization that donates livestock to poor communities around the world, giving other families like Beatrice’s a chance to change their lives.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780689869907
Publisher:	Aladdin
Publication date:	07/01/2004
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	657,089
Product dimensions:	10.00(w) x 9.50(h) x 0.20(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Page McBrier is a freelance writer and the author of many books for children, including Confessions of a Reluctant Elf and a number of books in the Treehouse Times and the Oliver and Company series, among others. In addition to writing, she has led theater workshops and taught drama in elementary schools. Ms. McBrier currently serves on the board of an arts afterschool program for middle school children. She lives with her husband and their two sons in Rowayton, Connecticut.

Lori Lohstoeter received her BFA from the University of Arkansas and earned her BA in commercial illustration from the ArtCenter College of Design in southern California. Lori was often hired as a children’s book illustrator for her vivid palette and bold brushwork. Her work has been featured on packaging for Estee Lauder, billboards for Jose Cuervo tequila, and more. She is an adjunct teacher for color theory at Norwalk Community College.

Editorial Reviews

The Barnes & Noble Review
For many children in the United States, attending school is nothing special. Many take their learning opportunities for granted and often forget that there are other children who are not as fortunate.

Beatrice's Goat tells the story of a young girl who lives in Uganda with her mom and five brothers and sisters. Every day Beatrice helps her mom plant in the fields and grind flour to sell at the market. They barely scrape by with the money they make, having just enough to feed and clothe the family. Beatrice is unable to afford school though she often dreams of wearing a school uniform, writing in a notebook, and studying all the day long.

One day, her mom informs her that they are one of 12 families slated to receive a special gift -- a goat. Beatrice doesn't really understand what's so special, but promises her momma to help care for it. After building a shed for the goat and tending to the pastures, Beatrice finally meets their gift. She befriends the animal and names her Mugisa, which means luck. When the time is right, Beatrice sells the goat's sweet milk at the market. The coins add up and, with this extra money, Beatrice is able to go to school. Mugisa also gives birth to babies that are sold to other families who will benefit from having livestock of their own, and Beatrice and her family are able to save money for a new roof.

This touching story was inspired by the true story of a Ugandan girl who was helped by Heifer Project International. HPI is an outstanding organization that provides livestock to poor communities around the world. Hillary Rodham Clinton, who has written the afterword for Beatrice's Goat shares of her belief that lives can change for the better with the help of resources, training, and community support. This book illustrates that belief and will hopefully educate all those who read it. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Heifer Project International.

bn.com

An impoverished family begins to flourish after receiving a special gift--of the four-legged variety--in this uplifting picture book set in western Uganda. Beatrice longs to attend school with other village children, but instead she must tend her five younger siblings and help her mother in the fields. Everything starts to change, however, when Beatrice and her family receive a goat, "a lucky gift," says her mother, from a charitable organization. As the months pass, the animal provides the family with sweet milk to enjoy and sell and a pair of kids that will eventually be sold as well. With the goat's bounty, the family soon has enough money to send Beatrice to school. McBrier's tale, inspired by actual events, succeeds in demonstrating the positive ripple effect of the efforts of one organization, but an afterword by Hillary Rodham Clinton sounds like an advertisement for Heifer Project (the donors of the goat). Perhaps the volume's greatest strength is Lohstoeter's (How the Leopard Got His Spots) sunny acrylic paintings, which capture the hues of dusty thatched huts and verdant banana groves of the African landscape. Sweet-faced Beatrice and her mother take center stage, wearing colorful, traditional clothes, and their bond is palpable. Ages 4-8. (Feb.) FYI: Two percent of the publisher's proceeds will be donated to Little Rock, Ark.-based Heifer Project International, a nonprofit group working to end global hunger by providing livestock and training to people in need. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

In what PW called "an uplifting picture book" inspired by actual events, a girl longs to attend school but instead must tend to her younger siblings and help her mother in the fields. Everything starts to change when the family receives a goat. "Sunny acrylic paintings capture the hues of dusty thatched huts and verdant banana groves of the African landscape." Ages 4-8. (July) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

K-Gr 3-Beatrice lives in Uganda, where her family is struggling to survive. During the day, she helps her mother watch the five younger children, tend the chickens and the fields, and grind cassava flour for the market. She is not excited when her mother explains that a charitable organization has given them a goat, which will be Beatrice's responsibility. She calls the "lucky gift" Mugisa, and, indeed, the animal turns out to be a wonderful boon for the family. Other villages seek her milk and are able to pay for it. The sale of the milk allows Beatrice's mother to purchase books and a uniform to send her daughter to school. Mugisa gives birth to two kids, one of which is sold to help pay for a new house. Although the writing style is stilted in places, the authenticity of the story comes through. Lohstoeter's wonderfully engaging acrylic illustrations go a long way toward enlivening the text. The afterword by Hillary Rodham Clinton explains that the story is based on the experiences of a real Ugandan child whose life changed because of the efforts of the humanitarian efforts of The Heifer Project International. Teachers and librarians may want to use this attractive picture book as a jumping-off point for discussion of world cultures.-Barbara Buckley, Rockville Centre Public Library, NY Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

School Library Journal

Hillary Rodham Clinton from the afterword Beatrice's Goat is a heartwarming reminder that families, wherever they live, can change their lives for the better.

From the Publisher